Tunneling by core-forming and removal



A ril 11, 1961 J. c. HASPERT ETAL 9,

TUNNELING BY CORE-FORMING AND REMOVAL Filed Oct. 11, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet1 4/0/7/7 C. fiaJ oerf 730/770; Al VW/flamaon INVENTORS April 11, 1961J. c. HASPERT ETAL 2,979,318

TUNNELING BY CORE-FORMING AND REMOVAL Filed Oct. 11, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet2 do/zn C. HaJpe/"z mama; 4 Wx/hamson INVENTORS April 11, 1961 .1. c.HASPERT ETAL 2,979,318

TUNNELING BY CORE-FORMING AND REMOVAL 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Oct. 11,1957 INVENTORS ATTORNEY April 11, 1961 J. c. HASPERT ETAL 2,979,318

TUNNELING BY CORE-FORMING AND REMOVAL 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Oct. 11,1957 (/0/2/7 C. f/aJ oerf 7770/7702)" /V. W////0/77J0/7 INVENTORSATTORNEY v I 2,979,318 iTUNNELING BY cons-roams AND REMOVAL John C.Haspert and Thomas N. Williamson, Houston, Tex., assignors to HughesTool Company, Houston, 'Tex., a corporation of Delaware Filed Oct. 11,1957, Ser. No. 689,593

3 Claims. (Cl. 262-7) This invention relates to tunneling and has as aprimary object the orderly advancement of a tunnel by progressivelycutting cores at the heading and effectively removing from the headingall cuttings and cores whereby the tunnel is advanced efficiently.

'It is the primary object of the invention to provide method andapparatus for accomplishing this purpose.

Another object is to progressively form a core at a heading, removecuttings during such operation and simulits nether portion cut away, thespace thus formed being used for clearance for actuating mechanisms andfor the progressive entrance of core catching means for handling thecore once it has been severed from the heading.

.These and other advantages and objects of the invention will be morefully apparent from the following description considered in connectionwith the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l is a perspective view of one form of the invention, the componentparts being shown in their relative positions when a core of severedearth formation has been withdrawn from the core drill;

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the core removing mechanismreturning to its core receiving position;

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram showing all equipment in position toadvance cutting of the tunnel bore;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of the core drill and driving means therefor;

Fig. 5 is a sectional-view taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 4; Fig. 6 isanenlarged sectional detail of the thrust hearing between the core drilland its advancing mechanism;

Fig. 7 is an elevational view taken on line 7-7 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view on line 8--8 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 9 shows a modified form of the core and cuttings removing componentof the device;

Fig. 10 is a sectional view taken on line 10-10 of Fig. 9;

Fig. 11 is a sectional view taken on line 11-11 of Fig. 9.

The present invention is concerned with a modified coring type oftunneling machine and the embodiment shown in the drawings is shown-ancomprising a cutter unit 1 and, telescoping therewith, a -mobile carrierunit 2 equipped to remove cuttings as formed and to remove successivesections of the core. The entire-unit is movable longitudinally of thetrack 3 as tunneling progresses.

It is to be here noted that the cutter unit 1 is of such size andconstruction that it will cut in a heading a circular bore of sufficientsize that all portions of the device may be readily movable therein. IAlso such unit cooperatively receives the forward portion ofthe carrierunit 2 2,979,318. Patented Apr. 11; 1961 2 so that all formationmaterial removed from the heading is quickly removed from the headingarea.

The cutter unit 1 comprises a core type drill 10 having base 11 andbarrel 12 with cutter assemblies 13 secured to its forward end. Thesecutter assemblies as well as those on pilot bit 14 comprise rollercutters of the cone type rotatably mounted upon suitable supports. Inasmuch as such assemblies are well known in the art and do not per seconstitute the present invention they are not specifically shown ordescribed herein.

Secured to the interior of the barrel 12 are a plurality of spiralflights 15 (Figs. 4 and 5) having projecting ends 16 it being thepurpose of theseflights to engage cuttings removed by the cutters andpropel such cuttings away from thecutting zone so that carrier equipmenthereinafter described will remove the cuttings from the scene ofoperations. It is to be understood that the radial dimensions of thebarrel 12 and the flight 15 are such as to provide adequate clearancewithin the 'kerf or annulus cut by the cutter assemblies 13.

A feature of the present invention resides in the use of the pilot bit14 mounted upon the shaft 20 eccentrically of the barrel 12 so that thecore 21 has an .arcuate longitudinal portion cut away at its lower side,as best seen in Fig. 1, thus leaving a clearance space 22 at the lowerside of the core. This feature of construction and the mode of operationserve multiple functions as will be presently apparent.

Spaced from the base 11 of the core drill 10 isan ciently that the coredrill '10 is slidably but accurately guided forwardly during thetunneling operation.

The core barrel 12 has an inwardly extending flange 30 at its inner end.The end face of this flange has a racewaywhich is complemental to araceway in the base 11 to receive thrust rollers 31 and provide anantifriction thrust bearing between the advancing'mechanism,

already described, and the core drill assembly 10. A ringgear 32 ismounted on and secured to the inner diameter of the flange 3t) andintermeshes with a pinion 33 on the shaft 20 upon which the pilot bit 14is mounted.

The shaft 20 is journaled in a spider 34 (Fig. 8) which constitutes anintegral part of the 'base 11. In turn'a telescopic driving connectionis had betweenthe shaft I f 20 and the hollow shaft 35 of the primemover 36 on the chassis 38.

mounted as an integral part of the cutter unit 1.. g It seems apparentthat'operation of the prime mover 36 rotates the pilot bit 14 and at thesame time effects r0 tatton of the core drill through the pinion 33 andthe ring gear 32. V The carrier unit 2 comprises a chassis 38 mountedwheels 39 on the track 3, suitable prime mover. equip ment beingprovided on the chassis for propulsion thereof I.

and for effecting such other operations as necessary. This unit includesa horizontally extending core catcher member 49 having arcuatelyextending side flanges 41 and :a'

central arched portion 42. This support is therefore of suchconfiguration as to fit the contour of the lower pore tion of the core21 and it moves beneath the core as the entire mechanism moves forwardas tunnelingprogresses. I A secondcore catcher member 43 isspaced above1- member 4i) and its forward end is coaxial with the. drill. 1 v10 sothat it overlies the core 21 as it is formed." This core catcher memberis tiltably mounted upon pintle-44 Rearwardly of the. pintle isa hyfdrau'lic actuator 45 mounted upon the chassis 38 and upon L gamma 13 andat the bottom of the core 21. Hence, cuttings,

as formed, are picked up and are transported rearwardly to the trailer48 whence they can be removed from the zone of operation.

To further describe the disclosed embodiment of the invention and itsmode of operation, it is noted that the cutter unit 1 is advanced to theheading 4- at the end of the tunnel 5. The jacks 27 are retracted asshown in Fig. 2, and ring 25 is anchored to the walls of the tunnel byactuation of the jack 26. Carrier unit 2 is then advanced as indicatedby the arrow in Fig. 2 until the forward ends of the core catchermembers extend substantially the entire length of the barrel 12 and thenozzles 47 are at a point to pick up the cuttings formed by the cutters13.

Prime mover 36 is then energized to elfect rotation of the core drilland the pilot bit 14 whereupon the core 21 is formed as the drilladvances. In the meantime the carrier unit 2 advances so that the coreenters the core catcher. It is intended that the jacks 27 may beextended such distance that a desired length of core is cut during asingle setting of the anchor ring 25. The jack 45 is then actuated tograsp the core 21 for removal. If the core will not dislodge from stressplaced thereon by movements of the carrier unit 2, the small shot holedrill 49 mounted on the carrier unit may be operated to drill a shothole in the core so that a charge can be set off to sever the core fromits attachment at the heading. The carrier unit with core and trailer 48may then be moved from the heading for disposal of the core andcuttings.

Figs. 4 and 9 to 11 show an alternate method of removing the cuttingsfrom the heading. In this modification the cuttings are moved upwardlyand rearwardly by i the flights 15 as the drill 10 rotates. As theseflights move toward their uppermost position the cuttings fall upon aconveyor 50 mounted on brackets 51 on the nether side of the corecatcher member 43. The conveyor 50 passes over rollers 52, driven from asuitable source (not shown) and extends rearwardly a sufficient distancethat the cuttings are conveyed to and deposited in the trailer 48.

It should be noted that the tunneling apparatus of the invention is suchas to enable removal of large core sections from a heading. Thesesections may be withdrawn a short distance from the heading and disposedof by sideward displacement into pockets formed along the tunnel forthis purpose. The core carrier may thus be released for immediate reuse,whereby the carrier is removed from the headingfor a minimum of timeduring 4 which the drill is reset for the next successive cuttingwof acore. As cutting progresses the previous cuttings and core may beremoved from the tunnel by other suitable means.

Broadly the invention comprehends methods and apparatus for the orderlyadvancement of a tunnel and the efiicient removal of cuttings and coresfrom the heading.

We claim:

1. In a coring type tunneling machine, a core drill adapted to cut akerf having-an outer diameter substantially equal to the diameter of thedesired tunnel bore, a pilot bit mounted to rotate about an axiseccentric to the axis of the core bit and to cut a pilot hole in advanceof the core bit, means for driving and advancing said core drill andpilot bit, and core catching means movable with said drill and bit toenter the pilot hole in the core and the kerf opposite the pilot hole tosupport and move sections of core from within the core bit.

2. In a coring type tunneling machine, a core drill adapted to cut akerf having an outer diameter substantial- 1y equal to the diameter ofthe desired tunnel bore, a pilot bit mounted to rotate about an axiseccentric to the axis of the core bit and to cut a pilot hole in advanceof the core bit, means for driving and advancing said core drill andpilot bit, opposed corecatching members movable with said drill and bitto enter the pilot hole in the core and the kerf opposite the pilothole, and means for moving said members into engagement with the core tosupport and move sections of core from within the core bit.

3. The method of forming a tunnel comprising progressively drilling apilot hole along and below the axis of the projected line of the tunnel,forming the tunnel bore by cutting an annular kerf transecting saidpilot hole and having an outer diameter substantially equal to that ofthe desired tunnel bore, simultaneously advancing core catching memberswithin the pilot hole in the core being cut and in the kerf oppositesaid hole, and thereafter clamping the core between said members andwithdrawing the core and members from the heading of the tunnel ore.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 17,650Wilson June 23, 1857 799,880 Tonge Sept. 19, 1905 1,730,705 Wild Oct. 8,1929 2,637,542 Yarmak May 5, 1953 2,638,323 Bannon May. 12, 1953 VFOREIGN PATENTS 523,350 Belgium Oct. 31, 1953

